Following the announcement, veteran backup Michael Vick fired back at a recent report that claimed some Jets coaches have "privately expressed disappointment that Vick didn't show up more hell-bent on winning the starting job."

"That is not true," Vick said. "That is not true at all. Me and my coaches have great conversations. We have open dialogue and that was far from the case. So whoever wrote that story, it was on the side of being very fictitious and you have to come up with better stories than that. It is better things to talk about."

Perhaps coaches were just commenting on the multiple times during the offseason Vick openly discussed that it was essentially a rigged "competition," as he again pointed out Friday night.

"I knew the entire time that Geno was going to be the starter," Vick said. "But Geno went out and proved he's capable of running this team and putting this team in position to win."

Vick, however, wasn't put in a position to win. Criticizing the quarterback for pointing out he was brought to New York to be the fallback option if Smith imploded or chastising him for apparently not chasing a no-win situation with more vigor is off base.

Right or wrong, this job was always only about Smith.

Vick proved in the process he's evolved into what the Jets wanted when they signed him: a mentor who can start games if needed. That combination should keep Vick earning an NFL paycheck late into his 30s.